Easter Egg Hunt Canceled Due to Aggressive Parents

An annual Easter egg hunt in Colorado Springs has been canceled this year because of misbehavior — by parents, not kids.

Organizers of the neighborhood egg hunt say last year’s event saw parents go after the Easter eggs with a “no holds barred” attitude. The pushing and shoving got a bit too much, and became a danger to the childrens’ safety. And that wasn’t the only problem.

For one, last year’s event was held in a small park, which meant the venue had insufficient space to hide the prizes. The lawn was dotted with eggs, easily visible for the parents to go after them and pick them up for their kids. To make matters worse, the firing gun used to signal the start of the hunt malfunctioned, which meant some parents in sprinter-like positions got off to an early start, only upsetting the others.

Last year’s race ended in a matter of seconds, and the parents who managed to scoop up the eggs left the venue content with their Easter treats filled with donated candy, or coupons redeemable at nearby businesses, while others left empty-handed.

We feel bad for the kids in Colorado Springs who will miss out on this Easter tradition, all thanks to grown-ups who can’t be trusted to act their age. Instead of limiting parental participation, the organizers of the Easter egg hunt decided to cancel it altogether. A bad case of “helicopter parenting” (those who hover over their children and are involved in every aspect of their child’s life) or just an example of parents indulging their “inner child”? Whatever the case, there are likely to be some unhappy kids come Easter time in Colorado Springs this year.